WHEN FEAR ANSWERS THE PHONE

In my March 26 blog I started looking at different ways to be at our best when life is bringing us its worst. So far, we’ve considered: “The Power of a Nap” (March 26); “Fixing Your Focus” (March 27); and “Imagining the Worst Is Not Helpful” (March 29). In all of these blogs the common thread is they deal with the condition of our heart (will, intellect and emotions). In the past couple of days I‘ve been reflecting and meditating on the biblical word, STEADFAST. Several psalms come to mind: 57:7 (NIV) “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.” The Hebrew word for STEADFAST is: Kuwn (koon) and it means “to be firm, be stable, be established; be securely determined.” To have a heart which is steadfast sounds amazing! 

Can you imagine what it would be like to be steadfast when the storms of life are raging and tribulations are troubling your spirit? There is another psalm which says: “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” (112:7 NIV) I recommend reading the whole chapter to discover who the “He” is in this psalm and who qualifies for this tremendous promise. I have to be honest, (well, I don’t have to be but I will!), when things are in the mode of going from bad to worse, I often get nervous when the phone rings or I check email or someone starts a sentence, “Did you hear …?” This anticipation of the worst [bad news] is often a gauge of our level of trust in the Lord. Do I really trust the Lord?

Pause in writing the blog: At this point in writing, I had to go to an appointment at City Hall. I anticipated my meeting would only be about 30 minutes so I paid for 40 minutes of parking. Well, my meeting last an hour and when I came out of City Hall, the meter lady was directly behind my SUV. I feared the bad news of a parking violation, but when I got to my vehicle there was no ticket. Silly me!

I want a steadfast heart. I want to be someone who fears God, but who doesn’t fear bad news. And if bad news comes, I want to be someone who is “securely determined” to trust God. Years ago I heard someone say, “The good news is the bad news is wrong!” Storms are going to come and bad stuff is going to happen in our lives, but I choose to believe God has good plans for me. Instead of allowing fear and wavering faith to dictate my reaction to the bad news, I choose to expect to receive good news when the phone rings, or I read emails, or when I have conversations with people throughout my day.

Here’s the closing thought I want to leave with you: The bad news doesn’t change God’s good plans for your life! As I write in the book, “Jesus and You: 25 Ways to Grow Your Life in Christ”: “Whatever happens in your life’s circumstances, always remember that storms don’t have the final say in your life.” (p. 101) BTW, if you would like a FREE copy of this book, of which I was privileged to be one of 25 contributing authors, send me your name and address via Facebook message and I will send you one, as a reader of The Transforming Truth. (Limited to the first ten requests)